Of People and Places

  Sketching at Chinar Park 

  A sketch of an artist friend...Silent companionship is so rare isn't it?  That's the nicest thing about being with like-minded people, no? The bliss of not having to spell out things. The joy of being understood without words. And having a shared vision of beauty, seen differently but felt in unison.

Sometimes, I have to scout long and hard to find a composition that would be good to sketch. Most of the times, I have to edit the scene - add a bush here, remove a tree there, add a person there, remove a light pole here. But on rare occasions like these, there are some beautiful elements all ready for you, waiting to enter your sketchbook, inviting you to park yourself in a shady nook and put pen to paper. For company, there is a drongo close by who seems to be unafraid of humans, he swoops down to see how I am making my progress and returns to this fork in the tree that he seems to love. There is a kingfisher who flies away as soon as I draw close. There are several sunbirds feasting on the flowers. There are boys playing cricket, intent on their game. But what company does a person need when there is a palash tree close by ?  

Sketching close to flowing water. Bliss. There were bats screeching around us and my friend spotted a gray hornbill. There was beautiful sunshine all around - It's a fantastic park - worth a visit :) 

                                                        An evening at Shahpura Lake, Bhopal. Chasing after a sunset to capture the reflections. As the sun dipped, the water broke into a million pieces. There was a lovely orange glow that I just can't describe. My dry brush technique needs work - and I also need to rethink the colors I have used and the strength of the washes too - ideally, they ought to be much lighter. Speaking of dry brush here is a nice tutorial by Shibasaki san  This one is much more closer to the actual scene - but I think it lacks finesse. Not to mention the colors are all wrong. This one looks like Northern Lights :P Northern Lights in Bhopal lol.( Oh, the last two have been painted on this lovely forgiving paper called Baohong Watercolor Paper - seriously, anything you make on it turns out quite beautiful!! And the firs...